The present invention relates generally to apparatus for utilizing scanners in conjunction with bar codes, and more particularly to systems for replacing depleted inventory items.
Large retail stores frequently have many checkout lanes in order to be able to handle higher customer throughput at peak periods. Such lanes tend to be crowded together as much as possible in an attempt to minimize the square footage required for the checkout function. Many of these lanes, however, remain idle during a considerable portion of any given business day, thereby wasting the square footage allocated to them.
A modern grocery store checkout lane typically includes a cash register that is used to check out merchandise items bearing bar code labels. A cashier removes items from a movable conveyor belt one a time, drags them across the laser beam of a fixed scanner (e.g., a "slot" scanner built into a horizontal counter), and places them on a shopping carrier, such as a cart. A fixed scanner is linked with a processor, e.g., a CPU built into the cash register, that translates the bar code symbol on a package into a cash register entry including the price of the scanned item and, e.g., a brief description of the item. In some implementations the translation may be direct, i.e., the price of the item is encoded in the bar code itself. In other implementations, the translation is indirect, i.e., the bar code encodes item identification information that is used as the input to a lookup table, e.g., in disk storage, from which information such as the price and brief description are obtained.
Downstream of the cash register on the conveyor belt is a sacking station; one or more baggers removes previously scanned items from the conveyor belt and places the items in paper or plastic sacks. (Some items, e.g., non-canned fruits and vegetables, are not scanned; their prices are entered manually using a cash register keyboard and/or a scale). When all items have been scanned or otherwise checked, the cash register tallies the prices of the items, factors in any discounts (e.g., coupon discounts) or other adjustments (e.g., sales taxes on some items), displays the total to be paid by the customer, and prints a receipt. In sophisticated systems, the cash register is linked with a host computer via cabling or other arrangement. While the purchases are being "rung up," the customer may write a check to pay for the purchases at a check-writing counter.
An aspect of this arrangement which limits the efficiency is the fact that typically only one person at a time empties a shopping cart and scans the items contained therein. Two or more persons could theoretically share a fixed scanner, but this could easily create physical coordination problems involving each person getting in the other person's way.
Another factor which limits efficiency is that a certain amount of time is required for the cashier to verify that the customer's check is not obviously a "bad check" (e.g., by transmitting the customer's driver's license number to a central clearing house).
Thus, to improve the throughput it is desirable to separate the checkout function of taking inventory of the customers purchases from the payment receiving function.
It is also desirable to be able to automatically debit a person's checking account or credit card either at the reported payment station or by passing the payment station completely. This of course eliminates the need for the customers to write a check, the store to clear it, or to process and clear a credit card.
Although, it is possible to use conventional bar codes to identify customers and match up carts and checking account numbers at the separate stations; there is an opportunity for unscrupulous persons to change or substitute the conventional bar codes in order to decrease the amount paid to the store or to substitute a different funds transfer number.